Contamination and shortages in water distribution systems contribute to some of the most significant problems in developing and developed countries. In developing countries, it has been estimated that up to 80% of diseases are caused by water contamination, and that, presently, about 400 million people face water shortages. In developed countries, reliance on decades- or centuries-old infrastructures for water management and distribution gives way to inefficiencies such as “unaccounted for water”—water lost through leakage or theft—which routinely exceeds 15% of the total water supplied.